Connection
by defiantlywicked
Summary: Jaylah bonds with the crew of the Enterprise in the days leading up to her leaving for the Academy. Gen!Fic
1. Uhura

Uhura

x

Jaylah wasn't sure why she needed more clothes than what she already had, but Lieutenant Uhura had insisted that was the case. She'd dragged Jaylah away from Montgomery Scotty and the unfamiliar technology he had been allowing her to play with, so that they could have girl time.

"We're going shopping." Lt. Uhura had stated, as if Jaylah should just know what that meant. A lot of people seemed to be saying things to her that she was supposed to just understand. In the end, they'd ended up at a large building that was filled with many things on racks and shelves. Jaylah had never seen so many articles of clothing before, and it was a little overwhelming.

"What is this place?" Jaylah asked, unsure of what to do.

Lt. Uhura paused briefly, seeming to notice for the first time that Jaylah obviously didn't know what this 'shopping' she spoke of earlier was.

"This is a store. It's where you pick out the things you want, or need, and you trade currency for them." Lt. Uhura explained.

"I do not have currency to trade." Jaylah stated, slowly following Lt. Uhura into the racks of clothing.

Lt. Uhura smiled at Jaylah. "Of course not. Don't worry, a few of us have pooled some funds together to get you things that you need."

"I have clothing. I do not need more." Jaylah frowned at the different types of clothes surrounding her, unimpressed.

Lt. Uhura laughed softly. "One outfit is great for one day. Maybe two to four, in a pinch, but not every day."

"What is a pinch?" Jaylah asked.

"It's a difficult situation." Lt Uhura explained. "To be completely honest, no one likes doing laundry, and the more outfits you have, the less you have to do it."

"So I must have more clothes so I can be lazy?" Jaylah asked, wrinkling her nose at a bright blue dress.

"No," Lt. Uhura answered. "but you still need more than one outfit. One outfit doesn't suit every situation."

"I have three outfits." Jaylah stated.

"You need more than three outfits. What do you think of this?" Lt. Uhura answered easily, pulling a long red shirt from a rack.

Jaylah curled her nose at it. "It is too long. It will get tangled with the bottoms."

"You don't wear bottoms with it."

"Why would I not wear bottoms? How will I keep covered if I have to jump or crawl?" Jaylah asked.

"Well, you wouldn't wear this somewhere that you'd be jumping or crawling." Lt. Uhura answered.

"I do not like it." Jaylah said, deciding she did not want to discuss it farther. How was she supposed to know if she was going to need to jump or crawl when she got dressed in the morning? It was best to just reject the outfit all together. "I do not like anything without bottoms."

Lt. Uhura nodded, putting the dress away. "Okay, so we want to avoid dresses, then."

Lt. Uhura led Jaylah to another section of the store. It was filled with tops, but still no bottoms. They were all different styles and colours.

"There are no bottoms here."

Lt. Uhura smiled at her. "No. This is where you pick out the tops, and then we'll go over there to pick out bottoms."

Jaylah looked to where Lt. Uhura indicated. "Okay. What situations do I need outfits for?"

Lt. Uhura shrugged. "Everyday situations, for starters. There are seven days in a week, so you should have a minimum of seven outfits for that. Then you also need a formal and semi-formal outfit, for different types of parties. You'll want some work clothes, some things you can wear for physical activity or labour. Oh, and a date outfit. Probably at least three date outfits, really."

"What is a date?" Jaylah asked, pulling a white top from a rack that wasn't completely awful.

Lt. Uhura stopped to look at Jaylah. "How long were you on Altamid?"

Jaylah shrugged. "I was a child when we crashed. Why?"

"So, you've never had a romantic relationship before?" Lt. Uhura asked.

Jaylah shook her head. "I have been alone for most of my life."

Lt. Uhura smiled sadly at her. "Well, you're not alone anymore. And a date is when two people spend time together in a romantic setting. Well, traditionally it's just two people, but it can be more than two people. As long as it's romantic."

"And I need three romantic date outfits?" Jaylah asked, pulling a black top from another rack.

Lt. Uhura nodded, pulling a yellow top out, only to put it back at the horrified look from Jaylah. "Yeah, you need at least three. When you go on a date, you dress up and make yourself look really nice. If you go on a date with the same person more than once, you need to make sure you aren't wearing the same outfit over and over."

"Do you only go on three dates with one person?" Jaylah asked, wrinkling her nose at the green top Lt. Uhura pulled out.

"No, you go on as many dates as you want, but after the third date with one person, it's starting to get serious. It becomes about feelings, and things like outfits matter less." Lt. Uhura sighed heavily as Jaylah shook her head at yet another top. "Do you not like colours? Is that what the problem is?"

Jaylah shook her head. "Bright colours draw attention. It will be impossible to take enemies by surprise."

"You're not on Altamid anymore, Jaylah. There are no enemies here to take by surprise."

Jaylah made a noncommittal noise. Maybe not right now.

"Okay. No bright colours." Lt. Uhura submitted, pulling a dark brown top from a pile on a table and holding it out.

Jaylah started to shake her head before pausing. It wasn't a terrible top, even if the colour wasn't great. It would be easy to blend into a wooded area with it. She grabbed the fabric and gave it a strong tug. The fabric was strong. "This is acceptable."

Lt. Uhura nodded. "Now we're getting somewhere."

They continued to peruse the racks, each pulling out various tops in white, black, and grey. Lt. Uhura explained the various situations each top would be suited to.

"What kind of clothing do people wear on dates?" Jaylah asked with forced indifference.

"Pretty clothes. Something that shows off your positive attributes. Something that will make the person you're on a date with lose their train of thought." Lt. Uhura tossed her hair over her shoulder to look at Jaylah as she spoke.

"What is a train of thought?"

"It's a figure of speech. It means to forget what you were thinking, or what you were going to say. If you look so good that someone loses their train of thought, it means that you're so attractive that they get distracted." Lt. Uhura answered simply.

Lt. Uhura seemed to be consistently unfazed by Jaylah's questions. It was nice. "Do you go on these dates?"

Lt. Uhura frowned. "Not recently. Spock and I are in a weird place right now, so dates are on hold."

"You and Mr. Spock are in a romance?" Jaylah asked.

"Yes. Or no. I'm not really sure anymore. It's complicated." Lt. Uhura answered.

"You are a brilliant woman, Lieutenant Uhura. If Mr. Spock does not see this, then he is an idiot." Jaylah stated, pulling out a shiny gray top. It was not practical, but it was pretty, and she needed pretty clothes for dates. She looked up from the top to ask if this was the sort of top Lt. Uhura was talking about, only to see her staring at Jaylah with watery eyes.

"That's a really nice thing to say, Jaylah. Thank you."

Jaylah hesitated, not sure what she said. "It is nice to say the truth?"

Lt. Uhura laughed. "Not always, but in this case it was very nice to say the truth."

Jaylah nodded. "Is this date clothes?"

"That is a great date shirt." Lt. Uhura agreed, "It'll show off your shoulders."

"My shoulders are a positive attribute?" Jaylah asked, glancing at them. They didn't seem any more or less remarkable than anyone else's shoulders she'd seen.

"Your everything is a positive attribute. You're stunning."

Jaylah grinned, proud. "Thank you."

Lt. Uhura looked at the armful of tops Jaylah had slowly collected. "And I think it's time to look for pants."

Lt. Uhura led the way to the next section of the store, waving down a woman wearing a shiny gold badge on her chest that looked nothing like the Starfleet badges that her new friends wore.

"What can I do for you?" The woman asked with a pleasing smile.

"Can you set up a dressing room for us?" Lt. Uhura asked, handing the woman the clothes in her arms.

"Of course." The woman responded, reaching for the clothes Jaylah was holding.

Jaylah pulled back. "I am shopping these."

Lt. Uhura stepped closer to her, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "Of course. She's just taking them to a dressing room for you. They'll all be waiting there. It's to make shopping easier, so that we don't have to walk around with armfuls of clothes."

"Yes," the woman agreed, "I'm just here to make your shopping easier."

Jaylah nodded slowly, handing her the tops she'd picked out, including the shiny gray one. "I will be wanting these." She warned before releasing them.

The woman walked off with Jaylah's shopping, and Lt. Uhura started pulling pants out of racks. There were all blacks and grays, with a few browns and whites mixed in.

"It's harder to find what pants size you wear than top size. So we'll have to pick a few different sizes of each style to make sure you'll get one that fits. What do you think of these?" One by one, Jaylah approved or rejected various bottoms that Lt. Uhura pulled out for her, while Lt. Uhura explained which situation each pair would be best suited for.

"Why are things with Mr. Spock complicated?" Jaylah asked as they made their way to the dressing room.

"He's just feeling conflicted." Lt. Uhura answered.

"What is conflicting?" Jaylah asked as she stepped behind the curtain where the woman earlier had placed all of her shopping.

"He feels like he owes it to his people to find a vulcan partner." Lt. Uhura said from the other side of the curtain.

"And you are human." Jaylah stated, pulling off her clothes. "Why did he go on dates with you to start, if he wants a Vulcan?"

"Well, that wasn't really a concern until a few years back. Vulcans are a bit of an endangered species at the moment."

"So he wants to procreate for new Vulcans? To make bigger the population?" Jaylah asked, pulling on the first outfit in the pile.

"Basically." Lt. Uhura answered, sounding sad

"That does not sound complicated." Jaylah "It sounds sad for you, but not complicated."

"It's complicated because he loves me, Jaylah. He feels like he owes it to his people to end our relationship, but he wants to be with me." Lt. Uhura explained.

"You want him to be yours, yes?" Jaylah asked, stepping out from the curtain to look in the mirror.

"Yes, I do." Lt. Uhura agreed, "That looks really nice."

Jaylah nodded, looking Lt. Uhura in her eyes. "Then you cannot give up."

Lt. Uhura shook her head. "I can't force him to be with me, Jaylah."

"No, but you can fight for your love." Jaylah answered, going back into the dressing room to try another outfit.

"You're really invested in my relationship." Lt. Uhura joked.

"I am invested in your happiness, Lieutenant Uhura. I like you. No one else explains your strange words to me so easy." Jaylah answered honestly.

Lt. Uhura was silent on the other side of the curtain as Jaylah got dressed in a new outfit. Jaylah began to worry that she'd said something wrong. She didn't know humans. What if that wasn't okay to say? By the time she was dressed and pulling the curtains to the side, she was ready to apologize.

Instead she found Lt. Uhura smiling happily at her. "I like you, too." She said simply. "And we should get lunch after we're done shopping."

Jaylah shrugged. "The food here is very strong."

"Is that bad?" Lt. Uhura asked as Jaylah went back into the dressing room.

"No," Jaylah shook her head, even though no one could see her, "there just were not so many flavours in my dinners before. It is shocking to my mouth."

"I can imagine the food here is a bit more luxurious than you're used to."

"Yes." Jaylah agreed.

"You'll get used to it. Soon, you'll love every bite." Lt. Uhura promised.

"I hope so."

Jaylah continued to try on outfits while Lt. Uhura made light conversation about nothing. Jaylah didn't understand why so many people seemed to talk about nothing here, but it was mildly comforting. It felt a little like a lullaby. Lt. Uhura's voice was light and melodic. It reminded her of her sister, Keelah. She hoped Lt. Uhura would talk to her like this often.

Soon enough Jaylah stepped out from the curtain in her original clothes, with a pile of outfits that she had liked enough to take. "Now we will trade currency for them?"

Lt. Uhura nodded. "Yes. I think we'll save shoe and lingerie shopping for another day. Baby steps."

"What is baby steps?" Jaylah asked as they walked toward a counter where the happy woman from earlier was standing.

"Small steps. Making small changes, or accomplishing small feats, at a time. Rather than large changes all at once."

"My whole life is a large change right now. And my feet are a good size. I do not need to make them smaller." Jaylah stated.

"Not feet, as in your feet. Feat, as in achievement. Everything about your life is changing, and that's why we need to take baby steps. Adjusting to life outside Altamid won't be easy for you."

"Small changes to make life easier." Jaylah said, dropping her clothes on the counter where Lt. Uhura pointed.

"Exactly." Lt. Uhura agreed, handing a small metal card to the woman. "Now, where would you like to eat?"

Jaylah shrugged as the woman began placing her shopping into bags. "What is your favourite flavours? Maybe I will like them."

Lt. Uhura nodded. "I know just the place. The food is really spicy though, is that okay?"

"I like the burning in my food." Jaylah nodded.

The woman finished bagging the clothes, and handed the chip back to Lt. Uhura. "Will you be taking these with you, or is there somewhere you would like your purchases transported?"

"Transport them here." Lt. Uhura responded, handing a card to the woman.

"Of course." The woman nodded, moving all of Jaylah's shopping to a small transport station and sending them off.

"Where did you send them?" Jaylah asked, looking to Lt. Uhura.

"I just had them sent back to your quarters." Lt. Uhura answered, moving to stand next to Jaylah. "So you say you like spicy food?"

Jaylah nodded as Lt. Uhura wrapped her arm around Jaylah's. "There are less flavours when it is spicy. It is not so distracting."

"Great! Because I saw this place when we got here, and I've been dying to try it." Lt. Uhura said excitedly, leading Jaylah out of the store.

"Is this what girl time is?" Jaylah asked.

Lt. Uhura shrugged. "Girl time is basically anything that girls do when they get together. It's important to enjoy some girl time every now and then."

"For bonding." Jaylah said.

"For bonding." Lt. Uhura confirmed.

"I like the shopping and the girl time." Jaylah stated.

Lt. Uhura smiled brightly at her. "Me too."


	2. Sulu

_Sulu_

x

Jaylah sat at the counter of Mr. Sulu's kitchen while he efficiently chopped up various vegetables. Unlike the rest of the Enterprise crew, and herself, Mr. Sulu had his own private home. He had a family here on Yorktown. A husband, and a daughter. Ben was at work, and Demora was at something called an after school activity.

He didn't say much. Jaylah liked that. It was refreshing compared to Montgomery Scotty, James T, or Lt. Uhura. She enjoyed Montgomery Scotty's jokes, James T's stories, and Lt. Uhura's easy conversation, but sometimes it was nice to just sit in quiet. There were so many people on Yorktown, and they were all _always_ talking. It could be overwhelming. She was enjoying watching Mr. Sulu chop his vegetables into neat, even pieces. Her stomach grumbled eagerly. She shouldn't get too excited. Human food was not very good.

"Uhura told me you're not a big fan of spices?" Mr. Sulu asked, drawing Jaylah from her thoughts.

Jaylah shook her head "They make too many things happen in my mouth."

Mr. Sulu laughed quietly, nodding. "I'll limit the spices to salt and pepper, okay?"

"I do not know what this salt and pepper is." Jaylah stated, pressing her hands flat onto the counter.

"They're spices. They're probably the plainest spices I can use." Mr. Sulu answered.

Jaylah didn't bother asking why he had to use spices at all. Every meal she'd eaten with someone so far had involved people telling her which spices were the best, and which ones she would like the most. Insisting she try different things. She had yet to find anything she truly enjoyed eating.

"Humans like exciting food." Jaylah said instead.

"Yes, we do." Mr. Sulu agreed, moving the vegetables into a pot on his stove.

Jaylah looked around the sleek kitchen. "Will Ben and Demora be back in time for eating?"

Mr. Sulu nodded. "They should get home right when dinner is served."

Jaylah smiled. "I used to fight my parents every night when it was time to eat. I wanted to play with my machines. I did not think I had time to eat and build, and so I wanted only to build."

Mr. Sulu smiled at her. "Demora hasn't quite reached the rebellious age yet. I'm hoping she holds off on that until after the five year mission is over."

"You want to be there when she is full of anger and arguing?" Jaylah asked. She'd never had the chance to be that for her father, but she had seen Keelah behaving that way.

Mr. Sulu shrugged. "It's not something I'm looking forward to, but I'd rather not leave Ben to deal with it alone."

Jaylah tapped her fingers on the counter. "She will be very lucky to have you. Even if she is full of rage."

Mr. Sulu paused from his cooking for face her fully. "Yeah, that's actually why I invited you over tonight. I wanted to thank you for everything you did for us."

"You are the one that flew my house away from that place. I should thank you." Jaylah answered.

Mr. Sulu shook his head. "No, Jaylah. If it wasn't for you, none of us would have made it off that planet. We never would have been able to stop the attack on Yorktown. You saved my life and my family's lives."

Jaylah shook her head. "I would still be there if you all did not crash there."

"Jaylah, if you hadn't fixed as much of the Franklin as you did, we'd still be on the planet and my daughter would never have had the chance to get to her rebellious phase." Mr. Sulu reached across the counter to grip her hand in his briefly before releasing it again. "And I can never repay you."

Jaylah looked away from him, feeling thick with something she didn't recognize. "Your family is lucky to have you, Mr. Sulu."

"Thanks, but I'm the one that's lucky to have them." Mr. Sulu answered, turning back to cooking his dinner.

Jaylah leaned onto her elbows, staring intently at the counter. She knew, technically, that she and the Enterprise crew had saved each other. Independently, neither of them would have made it off of Altamid. It was only through both her and them working together that they were able to escape. She did not like the events of that day being put wholly onto her. That also meant, though, that Mr. Sulu was right. They would never have been able to save Yorktown without her. Ultimately, she was happy that Mr. Sulu's young daughter would grow up, and do it with two fathers that loved her. She didn't need to think any more on it.

The time passed quietly, with Mr. Sulu's cooking soon filling the room with a delicious smell. It didn't have the sharp sensation that much of the cooking she'd encountered on the station had. Mr. Sulu was telling the truth when he said he wasn't using spices, which she appreciated immensely. She began watching him as he moved about the kitchen. He had the same quiet dignity that her father had, and she knew without doubt that he would make all of the same choices for Demora that her father had made for her. She was both deeply happy, and deeply envious, of Demora for it.

Soon enough she was helping Mr. Sulu set the table, and the front door was opening, with his family coming inside.

"Daddy!" Demora cried, running over to Mr. Sulu and throwing her arms around him.

Mr. Sulu smiled broadly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Hey sweetheart, did you have a good day?"

"Elodie punched Daphne in the face during lunch hour, so she wasn't allowed at dance practice today. It was really awful. I had to practice our routine without her, and now we might not be ready in time for the recital. And Daphne bled all over hopscotch." Demora spoke rapidly, pulling away from Mr. Sulu, who took the opportunity to plant a quick kiss on Ben's lips.

"Is Daphne okay?" Mr. Sulu asked, "And take a seat, dinner is ready."

Demora and Jaylah sat down, while Mr. Sulu and Ben set to work getting dinner served. Jaylah noticed them speaking quietly to each other from her seat at the dining table. Demora continued to talk about Elodie and Daphne, and it was all so… domestic. It was something Jaylah had longed for, but given up on ever having.

"Anyway," Demora continued, long winded, "Daphne put a stink bomb in Elodie's backpack, so she deserved it."

"Nobody deserves to get punched in the face, Demora." Ben stated firmly as he handed both Demora and Jaylah their dinner plates.

"But she put a _stink bomb_ in Elodie's _backpack_!" Demora insisted.

"And that was wrong," Mr. Sulu answered, "but that doesn't make it okay for Elodie to punch her in the face. What if Daphne got really hurt?"

Demora sighed dramatically. "You just don't get it."

Jaylah nodded in agreement. "It is necessary to surprise the enemy with different tactics to end a battle efficiently."

"Exactly!" Demora motioned widely at Jaylah across the table. "Daphne started it!"

Mr. Sulu gave Jaylah a stern look, before turning back to Demora. "Violence is never okay. Use your words."

Demora sighed heavily. She looked across the table at Jaylah, rolling her eyes widely, and taking a large bite of her food.

Jaylah suppressed a smile, and looked down at her plate. There was chopped vegetables and meat, and fluffy white mush. "What is this?" Jaylah asked, taking a forkful of the mush.

Demora giggled. "It's mashed potatoes."

"Mashed potatoes." Jaylah said slowly, before taking a bite. Of all of the foods she'd tried since arriving on Yorktown, it was easily the most appetizing. It did not have several different flavours battling for dominance, and the texture was smooth. It would likely be easily digested, and its simple flavour spread pleasantly through her mouth.

Jaylah quickly took a second forkful of it for a second bite, and speaking through her mouthful, "Mash potatoes are delicious."

Demora giggled again. "You're not supposed to talk with your mouth full."

Jaylah looked from Demora's face, to Ben and Mr. Sulu's, before swallowing her food. "That is considered rude?"

Mr. Sulu smiled kindly at her. "To humans. If you ever find yourself eating with Tellarites, it would be rude to chew with your mouth closed."

Jaylah smiled back at him, taking the opportunity to try the other foods on her plate. The meat was okay, and the green vegetables were edible. The orange vegetables were tasty, though. They were sweet. "What are these orange things?"

"Carrots." Ben answered.

"I like these carrots." Jaylah stated. "Your cooking is better than most humans, Mr. Sulu."

"Thank you, Jaylah." Mr. Sulu said.

"Papa makes better sweets, though." Demora stated.

Mr. Sulu laughed. "Baking isn't my strong suit."

"I still get nauseas when I think about that birthday cake you made when we were dating." Ben smiled fondly across the table.

Mr. Sulu shrugged. "Hey, I tried."

The conversation flowed easily throughout dinner, with Demora leading the way through most of it. She talked about her upcoming dance recital, her math test from earlier that day, and about how the drama between Elodie and Daphne had started when Elodie had chosen Demora as her science fair partner instead.

When dinner was finished, and Ben and Mr. Sulu began cleaning, Demora turned happily to Jaylah. "Do you want to play a game with me?"

Jaylah eyed the girl warily. "I do not know any games to play."

"I'll teach you!" Demora enthused, jumping up from her seat and running around the table to face Jaylah. "Please?"

"What game will we play?" Jaylah asked as Demora grabbed her hand and pulled her into the living room.

"Let's play checkers. The rules are simple, so it's easy to learn!" Demora answered, pulling a box off of a shelf.

Jaylah sat on the floor at the coffee table while Demora set up the game. "Do you want to be white, or black?" Demora asked.

"White." Jaylah answered, examining the board and pieces. "What are the rules?"

Demora quickly explained the rules as she set up the game. "Do you really agree that Daphne started it?" Demora asked as they began to play.

Jaylah shook her head. "Your father was right. You should always use your words. Daphne should have told Elodie that she was sad they weren't science fair partners. Elodie should have said she was angry about her backpack."

Demora sighed, unhappily. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm just mad the hopscotch court got ruined."

"Tell me what is hopscotch?" Jaylah asked, moving her piece forward.

"It's a game. You throw your rock onto the court, and then hop to catch it. You put your feet in every square, except the square where your rock lands. We can play when it's day time, if you want."

"Okay." Jaylah nodded.

They played three rounds, with Demora winning twice. Both times she won resulted in her doing a victory dance, and getting reminded by one of her fathers to be a graceful winner. Jaylah enjoyed the dancing.

"Okay, kiddo, it's time for bed." Mr. Sulu interrupted before they could begin a fourth game. "You have school in the morning, remember?"

Demora frowned. "Just one more game, please?"

Mr. Sulu shook his head. "I already let you stay up an extra half hour to finish the last game. Go get ready for bed."

"Will you tuck me in?" Demora asked.

"If you go brush your teeth right now." Mr. Sulu answered, bending over to kiss the top of her head.

"Okay." Demora sighed, standing up from her position on the floor and leaving toward the bathroom.

Jaylah watched her go as Mr. Sulu cleaned up the game. "I like your daughter very much, Mr. Sulu."

"I'm glad." Mr. Sulu said, putting the box away on the shelf, "She likes you too."

"She is very full with joy." Jaylah continued, standing up. "She makes me feel happy."

Mr. Sulu paused, before approaching Jaylah. "It's not Demora making you feel happy Jaylah. You're just feeling happy."

Jaylah laughed. "Maybe, but I feel happy more around her."

Mr. Sulu grinned widely. "Yeah, me too."

Demora came out of the bathroom in her pajamas. "I'm ready to be tucked in!"

"Say goodnight to Jaylah." Ben said, getting up from his seat on the couch.

"Goodnight!" Demora grinned widely.

"Goodnight." Jaylah answered.

Mr. Sulu turned to his daughter and picked her up, quickly twirling her around, eliciting a high pitched laugh from her. He carried her quickly into her bedroom, followed by Ben. Jaylah considered waiting in the living room, but slowly wandered over to Demora's open bedroom door. By the time she reached it, Demora was lying in bed, with a father sitting on either side of her. They were talking quietly, with Mr. Sulu and Ben occasionally leaning down to kiss her forehead and cheeks.

Jaylah watched from the doorway. She could remember when her parents would sit by her bed at night. She hadn't had a family for a very long time. She missed her parents and her sister every day, and watching Mr. Sulu with his family was a stark reminder of everything she'd lost. She helped him save them. She helped save many families. While the sight before her made her feel deeply envious and sad, it also made her feel proud. She helped so many people avoid the loss that she suffered, and that was something good.

Mr. Sulu and Ben stood up, wishing Demora a good night, and Jaylah fell back into the living room with them. Ben smiled at Jaylah. "I need to get some work done for tomorrow, so I'll be retiring to the office. Jaylah, it was wonderful having you. I hope you'll come over again before you leave?"

Jaylah nodded. "Yes, Mr. Sulu makes food that does not confuse my mouth. I would like more."

Ben laughed, leaning over to give Jaylah a quick hug—which she stood stiffly for—and kissed Mr. Sulu quickly before going into his office.

"Would you like a drink?" Mr. Sulu asked, motioning to a cabinet in the corner.

Jaylah nodded. "I like whiskey."

"Then you're in luck." Mr. Sulu pulled two glasses out, and a bottled with amber liquid inside. "Have you decided if you're going to take the offer to attend the academy?"

Jaylah shrugged. "I would like to fly with you all. I need to go to the Academy for that, yes?"

Mr. Sulu nodded, handing Jaylah a glass of whiskey. "Yes. You need to be a member of Starfleet to fly on the Enterprise. One in good standing, too."

"I would need to do very well." Jaylah expanded, sipping her drink. She liked the way it burned in her throat.

Mr. Sulu led her over to the couch to sit down. "With the recommendations from all of us, if you do well, you could do whatever you wanted once you graduate."

"I want to be on the Enterprise." Jaylah stated plainly.

"And the Enterprise wants you on it." Mr. Sulu answered quickly. "But four years is a long time, and you might discover there's something else you want more."

Jaylah shook her head. "The Enterprise crew are the closest I have been to belonging since my family died."

Mr. Sulu reached over and gently rubbed Jaylah's shoulder. "I think you'll find that you can belong anywhere you choose to settle down. You could belong at Starfleet Academy, if you want to."

Jaylah smiled. It was a pretty thought. "Four years is not so very a long time."

"You'd do great there. It'd give you an opportunity to do amazing things." Mr. Sulu encouraged her.

Jaylah wrinkled her nose at him. "I do not like the dresses."

Mr. Sulu laughed. "I don't like the shirts!"

Jaylah laughed with him. "The ugly outfits are worth it?"

"Most definitely." Mr. Sulu agreed.

"I think I would like to go." Jaylah admitted, for the first time. It painted a pretty picture. She would learn more things than she ever considered before. She'd be surrounded by people who all wanted to learn, and eventually fly on ships like the Enterprise. He was right. She could belong there.

Mr. Sulu smiled at her. "I think we'll all feel safer on our mission knowing you're studying to join us someday."

Jaylah stared into her glass. "I admit I am worried that you will all forget me."

"Not a chance in hell of that happening."

Jaylah looked up to see the same firm look he'd given her at dinner. She wasn't sure she believed him, but it was nice to hear.

Mr. Sulu's stern look melted into a friendly smile. "How could we forget you? You'll have a lot of catching up to do at the Academy, Jaylah. I imagine you'll be calling us all the time for help with your homework."

Jaylah laughed. "I will not need help! I am too smart."

Mr. Sulu rolled his eyes dramatically, reminding her decidedly of Demora. "No wonder the Captain likes you."

Jaylah smiled broadly. "James T has good taste."

"He sure does." Mr. Sulu nudged Jaylah gently.

"Tell me more about the Academy, Mr. Sulu." Jaylah requested.

Mr. Sulu contemplated briefly, before launching into a story from his first year in Starfleet Academy. Jaylah listened intently, wanting to absorb every detail she could before she left. She'd need to leave soon, if she was going to make it to Earth for the start of the school year. She chose to think on that later.


	3. McCoy

_McCoy_

x

Jaylah sat stiffly on the cold biobed in the stark white medical room. Dr. Bones had given her a flimsy white paper gown to change into before leaving the room. She did not like dresses, but she liked this paper dress the least of all. It would rip with the slightest bit of physical activity, and it didn't even fully close in the back.

She stared longingly at her clothes piled haphazardly on the chair in the corner, wishing Dr. Bones would just come back in the room already. She had been avoiding his attempts to see her in the clinic ever since they arrived in Yorktown. She had seen him poke James T with his strange tools, and James T did not appear to enjoy the experience. He'd gone so far as to shake his head at her from over Dr. Bones's shoulder when he approached her about needing an exam.

She had planned to evade his annoying insistence until she left Yorktown, but apparently she needed to have a full physical to enroll at Starfleet Academy. Given her options, she felt more comfortable with Dr. Bones examining her.

There was a knock on the door, before it slid open just a little. "Are you ready in there?"

"I am ready, Dr. Bones." Jaylah answered, and swinging her feet back and forth as she watched the door slide the rest of the way open.

Dr. Bones walked in with a frown on his face. "I've told you that it's Dr. McCoy."

Jaylah smiled at him. "I know what your name is. I like Dr. Bones better."

He sighed heavily before muttering, "Thanks, Jim."

Jaylah bit her lip. Truthfully, it _was_ James T who introduced him as Dr. Bones.

"Alright, so the Federation has never encountered your species before, so this is going to be a little more… invasive than your routine physical." Dr. Bones stated.

Jaylah nodded. "That is why you wanted me to be naked. The nurse explained it all."

Dr. Bones shook his head, pulling a small metallic device out of a drawer. "Can you lie down?"

Jaylah swung her legs onto the biobed and fell onto her back. Dr. Bones stepped up to stand over her, and held the device above her body. She stared suspiciously at it as he pulled it wide to reveal a screen filled with things that made no sense to her. Dr. Bones studied the images with a singular focus, before pressing a few buttons, and closing the device and putting it away.

Jaylah stayed on her back as he pressed a few buttons on his pad. "Your internal organs are similar to humans. There are a few distinct differences. It looks like you're got three kidneys?"

He looked at her like he wanted an answer, so Jaylah shrugged. "What is a kidney?"

Dr. Bones nodded and rolled his eyes. "Of course. Your stomach is also considerably smaller than your average human. Probably to make more room for this—" Dr. Bones turned his pad to show her an image of a small oval shape "—any idea what that might be?"

Jaylah studied it. She did know what it was, but she didn't know what to call it in English. "It is my rhogair. It holds nutrients in my body if I go long times without food."

"Really?" Dr. Bones asked, sounding genuinely intrigued. "That explains some of the results from the blood tests."

"What results?" Jaylah asked, fidgeting from her prone position.

"What? Oh. You seem to require significantly less nourishment than most beings of your size and build." Dr. Bones answered. "You also have a protein in your blood that indicates a faster than average healing rate."

"Do humans not heal well?" Jaylah asked, mildly smug.

"We heal just fine. Just… not as quickly as you do, apparently." Dr. Bones answered, still studying his scans. "Your reproductive organs don't appear to work like most mammals, though. There's a membrane around your, I assume only, ovary."

"That is bad?" Jaylah asked.

"No. I don't think so, at least. At first glace, it looks like it's just part of your physiology. Do you have a menstrual cycle?"

"What is a menstrual cycle?" Jaylah asked.

"It's different for different species. In humans, the female's body prepares itself for pregnancy, and if she doesn't become pregnant by the end of the month, then her uterus sheds it's lining and begins the process again."

"This happens every month?" Jaylah asked.

Dr. Bones nodded. "Do you experience anything like this?"

Jaylah shook her head. "I can only become pregnant at certain times a year."

"Do you know when those times are?"

"I only know when it happens. Not when it is coming."

Dr. Bones nodded, making notes on his pad. "What are the symptoms?"

"I am hotter, and my skin is more sensitive. My stomach, here—" Jaylah touched her lower abdomen "gets bigger and softer."

"How much bigger?" Dr. Bones asked.

Jaylah held her index finger and thumb apart in indication. "It is not much bigger. It is round like a ball, and soft. I do not even need bigger pants."

Dr. Bones glanced at her hand, before making another note. "Your body is likely making space for a baby. Any other symptoms? Is it painful? Any cramping?"

Jaylah shook her head. "Sometimes I get distracted more."

Dr. Bones asked her some more questions about her body and its workings. Jaylah laid calmly on the biobed, answering them. He was efficient and detached, and Jaylah mimicked his tone while she answered his awkward questions. She wasn't a healer. She knew very little about her body's inner workings.

"Okay, I'm going to get you to sit up now." Dr. Bones stated, setting the pad aside.

Jaylah sat up, swinging her legs back over the edge of the bed. Dr. Bones motioned for her to sit closer, so she slid to the very edge of the bed.

"Okay, so scans are all well and good, but I need to do a physical exam. If you're uncomfortable at any point, I need you to say so, okay?" Dr. Bones looked her right in the eyes as he spoke.

Jaylah nodded. "I understand. I trust you, Dr. Bones."

He nodded. "Okay, then."

The exam itself was physically uncomfortable, but she felt calm the entire time. Dr. Bones untied the back of her paper gown, and moved it out of the way, but never fully removed it. She was grateful. Certain parts of his exam were more invasive than others, at one point he'd had her lean back and place her feet in little holders while he examined inside of her. She wasn't sure what he was expected to find in there, but maybe humans had more up there than she did. Dr. Bones explained everything every step of the way.

"Okay, we're all done here." Dr. Bones stated, stepping back from her.

Jaylah nodded. "I am healthy, then? The Academy will be happy?"

Dr. Bones shrugged. "You're sort of our point of reference, here, but I'd say you're as healthy as you can be. You're blood work does indicate some mild malnourishment, which is a little troubling, considering how long we've been here at this point."

Jaylah shook her head. "My rhogair is refilling itself. Once it is full, my nutrients will be better."

"You sure about that?" Dr. Bones asked, "I've heard you don't eat much. Admittedly, with the size of your stomach, you would need to eat less than the rest of us, but still."

Jaylah wrinkled her nose. "Food here is not good. I only like mashed potatoes, carrots, and whiskey."

Dr. Bones laughed. "You've got about a third more taste buds than humans do. It'll take trial and error to find food that agrees with you. Have you tried programming foods you like into a replicator?"

Jaylah nodded. "I do not know the words in English to program them. There is fruit from Altamid that is very tasty. And a candy my father used to give me. I would like to program them into the replicators, but I do not know the ingredients."

"My mother used to bake this strawberry rhubarb pie, but she never told anyone the recipe. No matter how hard I try to get it replicated, it never tastes quite right. Ma took the recipe to her grave. It's a damn shame." Dr. Bones sounded a little sad for a moment.

"What is wrong with the replicated pie?" Jaylah asked.

"It's always too sweet." Dr. Bones answered. "I know it's not quite the same problem you're facing."

"At least I have found mashed potatoes. They are very delicious."

"That they are." Dr. Bones agreed. "I'll give you a minute to get dressed."

"Why?" Jaylah asked. "You have seen all of me already."

Dr. Bones paused from heading toward the exit, "It's to be polite."

"It is polite to pretend you have not seen me naked?" Jaylah asked, sliding off of the bed.

"Exactly. I'll meet you in the hallway whenever you're ready." Dr. Bones laughed, leaving the room.

Jaylah got dressed, and exited the room. Dr. Bones was waiting patiently. She looked him up and down, and crossed her arms. "Do you have more doctoring to do?"

He nodded. "I'm in the clinic until five."

Jaylah suppressed a frown. "You will write a report about me?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I can read it?" Jaylah asked.

"You interested in xenobiology?" Dr. Bones joked.

"I don't know what is xenobiology." Jaylah answered.

Dr. Bones made a face at her. "It's alien biology."

"Then the file will not be xenobiology to me." Jaylah stated.

"I suppose not." Dr. Bones responded. "I can send it to you when it's done."

"Who else will you send it to?" Jaylah asked. How many people would be reading about all of her natural functions? What would he be saying in it about her? She didn't mind Dr. Bones knowing all of her bits and pieces, but she didn't know if she wanted other people to know them too.

Dr. Bones didn't seem to notice her concerns. "I'll be uploading it to the Federation database. That way, no matter where you are in Federation space, if you need medical attention, the details will be available."

"So everyone will be able to see how my insides work?"

"Essentially." Dr. Bones agreed.

"What about—" Jayla paused, unsure how to phrase her question.

"What about what?" Dr. Bones asked.

"Will your report have details about my outside parts?" Jaylah asked, feeling a heat rush to her face. She was not a modest person, but she did not want strangers throughout the Federation knowing about the birthmark on the inside of her thigh.

Dr. Bones's eyes widened slightly. "Of course not. Jaylah, there won't be any personal details about you in the report. Anything personal is going to be put into your medical file, where it'll stay. The only people that will see it are doctors that you're seeing, and only when it's medically necessary."

Jaylah nodded. "Because it's polite to pretend you haven't seen me naked."

Dr. Bones smiled at her. "Because it's polite to pretend I haven't seen you naked."

"Have a good working day, Dr. Bones." Jaylah smiled back at him.

"Go have some fun for the both of us." Dr. Bones requested, walking away to a work station.

Jaylah left the clinic, and went straight to her quarters. She laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She wasn't familiar with this part of life in the Federation. On Altamid there was always something the needed to be done. For years, she spent every day working on the Franklin, to one day escape. She spent her days learning to speak English, making repairs on the ship, scavenging the planet for parts that she needed, and maintaining her traps. She didn't know what to do with herself anymore.

The crew of the Enterprise was always willing to spend time with her, but they all had jobs to do. Any members of the crew that weren't working on finishing construction of the new Enterprise had been assigned to duties in other parts of Yorktown while they waited. It was the middle of the day, and there was no one to spend time with. She was alone in her room, with nothing to do and no one to talk to.

She turned on her music, and sighed heavily. She could read another book, or maybe she could take a walk. She'd read so many books in the days since arriving in Yorktown, and she'd already seen all of the areas of the space station that she cared to. Her eyes fell onto the replicator in the corner, and she thought about what Dr. Bones said about his mother's pie. It was always too sweet.

She went to the replicator and asked for strawberry rhubarb pie.

It looked messy, but Jaylah sat down and took a bite of it. It wasn't good, but she ate a few more bites, rolling it's filling around her tongue. She then returned to the replicator, made some adjustments, and asked for another piece of pie. She did this a few times, never enjoying any of it. After several attempts, she decided that she had made it less sweet by a considerable amount.

She had no way of knowing if it would be anything like Dr. Bones's mother's pie. Did Dr. Bones miss his mother's pie like she missed her father's candies? There was no way to get her hands on his candies, but with enough efforts Dr. Bones could have his mother's pie back.

She waited until a little after six before going to his quarters with her end result. She rang the bell to his room, holding the pie in front of her.

His door slid open, "Jim, I told you I'll meet you at the damn bar."

Jaylah stared blankly at him as he stepped up and saw her. "Jaylah?"

"I brought you pie." Jaylah stated.

Dr. Bones looked down at the plate in her hands. "What?"

Jaylah rolled her eyes impatiently. "I am trying to find your mother's recipe, but I do not know what it is supposed to be tasting like. I need you to tell me what changes it still needs."

Dr. Bones stared at her. "Why?"

"Because I am nice!" Jaylah snapped. "Let me in and eat this pie."

Dr. Bones stepped back from the door to let her in. Jaylah walked in and quickly dropped the pie on the table. She turned and stared expectantly at Dr. Bones, who just continued to stare confused at her.

"Are you going to eat the pie, or not?" Jaylah demanded.

"I'll eat it. Why am I eating it?" Dr. Bones asked as he took a seat at his table under her stern glare.

"Because I am nice!" Jaylah answered. "And I am sad that you do not have your mother's recipe, so I am going to find it."

"Got a lot of free time, do you?" Dr. Bones raised an eye brow at her, taking a forkful of the pie.

Jaylah shrugged. "I have no jobs to do. Only time to pass."

He took a bite, and she stared at him while he chewed impassively. She grew increasingly impatient while he took his time.

"Well?" She demanded. "What changes I need to make?"

He swallowed and shrugged. "It's not sweet enough."

Jaylah scoffed. "You said it was always too sweet!"

"Yeah, but you made this not sweet enough."

"Argh!" Jaylah grunted. "I will try again. What other tastes do I need to put in?"

"Ma's pie was a little sweet and a little tart." Dr. Bones answered.

"What is tart?" Jaylah asked.

"Sour."

Jaylah nodded. "I will try again. I will bring you more pie tomorrow. It will be better."

"Why?" Dr. Bones asked. "And don't just say because you're nice."

Jaylah frowned at him. "Because I have a lot of free time."

Dr. Bones smirked, standing up from his table. "You want to go get a drink with the Captain and me, instead? It'll probably be more fun for you."

Jaylah started at him. "There will be whiskey?"

"Is Andoria colder than a penguin's balls?"

Jaylah stared at him. "What?"

Dr. Bones rolled his eyes. "It means you're damn right there'll be whiskey."

"Then I will go to the bar with you."

"Then follow me."


	4. Chekov

_Chekov_

x

"Mind if I sit?"

Jaylah looked up from her plate full of mashed potatoes to see Chekov standing over her with a lunch tray in his hand. She shrugged and motioned to the seat directly across from her, dismissively. In truth, she had come to the cafeteria hoping that someone she knew would be there. She'd been disappointed when she'd seen no one recognizable, and had accepted she would be eating alone. Again.

Chekov's arrival was a relief, to say the least.

"Is that all you're eating?" He asked as he sat down, his own plate containing a variety of foods.

Jaylah shrugged. "They are my favourite."

Chekov smiled. "When I was little, there was a whole month where I would only eat steak and cucumber sandwiches."

"Those are good?" She asked.

He shrugged. "They were my favourite at the time. I haven't eaten one since."

"Why not?"

"I got tired of them." Chekov answered simply.

Jaylah frowned and shook her head. "I will never be tired of potatoes. They are the best human food."

"They are very good, yes. Have you tried baked potatoes?" Chekov asked, taking a bite of his own lunch.

"There are other kinds of potatoes?" Jaylah's eyes went wide.

"There are lots of kinds." Chekov answered.

"I will have to try them baked." Jaylah smiled happily as she took a bite, the idea of another food that she might actually enjoy was an exciting one.

"They also come in fry and chip form, for snacks." Chekov smiled back at her.

"What is your favourite kind of potato?" Jaylah asked.

"Scallop."

"Scallop." Jaylah repeated back to him, slowly. "I will eat scallop potatoes for dinner, then."

Chekov laughed quietly. "What brings you down to the mess for lunch today? I don't usually see you here."

"I was bored waiting alone in my room." Jaylah answered. "I can only make so much pies, and I am bored of the hop scotch."

"Pies?" Chekov asked.

"I am making a pie for Doctor Bones. It never comes out right." Jaylah explained.

"You spend all day making pie?" Chekov frowned.

Jaylah shrugged. "I also play the hop scotch that Demora painted outside, and I have read six books."

"Six? Already?"

Jaylah frowned deeply at him. "Five and a half. The one I am trying to read right now is very boring."

"Well, would you like to come with me?" Chekov offered.

Jaylah looked at him curiously. Obviously, she would like to do anything that involved not being alone in her room. What a strange question to ask.

"I am working on some navigation coding for the new Enterprise." Chekov explained. "It's not very exciting, but Scotty could probably convince the higher ups to let you help out."

Jaylah frowned. "I do not know anything about navigation."

"What?" Chekov asked, surprised.

"Not space navigation. On the ground, I am very good, but I never went into space until you all came." Jaylah explained. Not that it mattered.

"You spent so long fixing the Franklin, but you never looked into the navigation systems?"

Jaylah shrugged. "I looked at them, but getting off Altamid was more important than where I would go."

Chekov nodded. "Well, I could teach you a few things. Then you could probably do some simple proofreading."

"Montgomery Scotty already tried to get me a job like that." Jaylah stated. "I am not Starfleet, so they will not let me." She wasn't going to tell him that she broke the table when Montgomery Scotty told her she couldn't go to work with him.

"Oh." Chekov's face fell, before visibly brightening again. "Then we will have to find you a different job!"

Jaylah smiled back at him in response. "And what job will you get for me?"

"I'm sure there are people here that need things fixed. Smaller systems and personal items aren't being looked after right now. Starfleet is prioritizing the larger and more important systems."

Jaylah felt small seeds of excitement bubble inside of her. She hadn't felt truly excited about something in days. "You think they will let me repair smaller systems?"

Chekov shrugged. "If nothing else, I'm sure we can find a few people with personal items that they can't fix, and can't get fixed through the proper channels. I'll ask around, and let you know what I find out, yeah?"

"Yes!" Jaylah agreed eagerly, sitting straighter. She still had time left on Yorktown, and the time would pass much more enjoyably with something productive to do.

"Okay then. I will talk to some people, and I will get back to you after my shift is done." Chekov states, finishing his own lunch.

"When will that be?" Jaylah asked, standing up with him.

"I am done work at six, so I will come by your quarters shortly after that, okay?"

"I will be seeing you then, Chekov." Jaylah agreed, dropping off her tray at the station with him. He nodded, smiled, and waved goodbye to her before continuing back in the direction of his work.

Jaylah wandered around the city for a little while, before returning to her quarters. She read a little, watched a movie, and took apart her sonic shower in the time that it took for Chekov to ring her doorbell. She left the pieces of her shower on her bathroom floor to answer it.

Chekov stood in her doorway as it slid open with a proud smile on his face, and a bag in his hands.

"You have found work for me, Chekov?" Jaylah asked.

"Yeoman Yukimura's personal communicator is malfunctioning. And Ensign Downy's personal PADD is too." He answered, holding them out to her. "Lieutenant Santiago says if you do well with these, then he'll talk to his department to see if they have anything for you, too."

Jaylah took the bag, and looked inside to see the two devices Chekov had mentioned. "So if I fix these, I will have more work?"

"Yes. It usually only takes a couple of days to get personal equipment fixed, so people are going crazy having to wait this long."

Jaylah stepped back into her quarters. He hesitated outside as he watched her place the items on her counter.

"Are you afraid of my rooms, Chekov?" Jaylah laughed.

Chekov blushed and shook his head. "No, it's just polite to wait for an invitation."

"You have it." She said as she pulled her new tasks from the bag they were brought in. Chekov walked in to stand behind her.

"We should celebrate having work by doing something fun!" Jaylah turned to him and grinned.

"You don't want to start fixing those right now?" Chekov asked, confused.

Jaylah shook her head. "No, the work will be for when everyone is busy with their work. You are not busy now, are you?"

Chekov shook his head.

"What should we do for fun?" Jaylah asked. "I do not know of many things to be doing."

"Uh…" Chekov scratched the back of his neck and looked around. "I'm not sure. We could see a movie?"

Jaylah wrinkled her nose. "I only watch the movies when there is nothing else. I want to _do_ something."

"Okay…" Chekov trailed off. "Well, we could go for a hike in the botanical gardens?"

"What is a hike?" Jaylah asked. She had been to the gardens during her explorations of Yorktown. They were pretty, but she had spent enough time wandering through trees and plants on Altamid. Unless there was a specific goal in mind, she didn't think she would ever appreciate being in a forest ever again.

"It's a… walk." Chekov answered.

"And walking, that is fun for you?" Jaylah pressed, pulling on her shoes. She apparently went hiking regularly in the last few weeks. It had never been particularly fun.

"Well, for some people. You will probably like it." Chekov stated, stepping back as she walked past him to the exit.

"You do not like it?" Jaylah asked, why would he think she'd like it? Did he think she was boring?

Chekov shrugged. "Depends on the company, I suppose."

"It is fun when you have good company? I hope I am good enough company?" Jaylah said as she walked out, assuming he was following.

"You are excellent company." Chekov answered, as he moved to walk next to her. "We need to stop at my quarters before we go for a hike."

Jaylah shook her head, shooting him an incredulous look. "We are not going for a hike. Think of something else."

Chekov laughed. "No? Okay, how about we play pool?

"I have heard of pool. It is a game of skill. Let's play pool."

"We will still need to stop at my quarters."

"Why?" Jaylah asked.

"I'd rather not go out in my uniform." Chekov answered.

Jaylah wrinkled her nose at his clothes. "I imagine you would rather not do anything in it."

"They're not so bad." Chekov shook his head, as they entered the transporter and he pressed his floor number.

"You are a liar." Jaylah stated plainly as the transporter doors slid open, and let him lead the way to his quarters. They were identical to her's. Well, almost exactly like her's. His quarters were considerably cleaner. They also smelled different. It surprised her every time she entered someone's quarters, and they looked just like her's, but smelled so different. She thought they must smell like the people that lived in them.

"I'll just be a minute." he stated, pulling some clothes from a wardrobe and disappearing into the bathroom.

Jaylah hovered by the door, not wanting to be rude by entering without an invitation. She called out, "Your rooms are very clean."

"Cleanliness is next to godliness." Came his muffled response.

"I do not know what is godliness." Jaylah answered back.

The bathroom door slid open, and Chekov stepped out in civilian clothes. "It is a saying."

"What does it mean?" She asked as he walked over and led her out into the hallway.

Chekov hesitated, thinking, as they made their way back into the transporter. "It means that being clean and tidy is a good trait to have."

"Why?" Jaylah asked as the doors slid open, and they walked out into the lobby.

Chekov hesitated again, finding distraction in waving at a woman walking past them before answering.

"I suppose it means you are more organized, which is a sign of being successful."

"I will be successful without being godly." Jaylah frowned. "Cleaning is boring."

"Yes it is." Chekov agreed as they made their way down the street toward where she assumed the pool game was.

"Does being godly help you with your work?" Jaylah asked, frowning at a man that narrowly avoided walking into her in his rush. She suppressed the urge to knock the man to the ground. That wasn't _polite_. That's what Lt. Uhura said, anyway. Jaylah took her word a little more seriously than many other people's. The thought of her being disappointed in her was… discomforting.

"I am not godly. It's just an expression." Chekov explained. "No one is actually godly."

"But I thought cleanliness is next to godliness?"

"It just means striving to be better makes you better."

"Oh." Jaylah frowned, wishing Lt. Uhura was present to explain what he was saying. She was good at that. At least he wasn't being as confusing as Doctor Bones.

"Explaining colloquialisms isn't one of my strong points." Chekov said in apology.

Jaylah shook her head. "I am finding most of you are bad at it. Only Lieutenant Uhura is helpful."

"You will have to find a xenolinguistics major when you get to Earth, to help you out." Chekov joked.

Jaylah frowned. "I do not like thinking of that."

"You're not excited about the Academy?" He asked, concerned.

Jaylah shook her head. "I am very excited about the learning and eventually joining you all."

"What don't you like thinking about, then?" Chekov pressed.

Jaylah shook her head. "We are having fun, not being sad."

Chekov stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding. "When we get to the bar, do you want to share a pitcher?"

Jaylah shrugged. "What will be in it?"

"Usually it's beer."

"I do not like beer. I will have whiskey." Jaylah stated.

"Whiskey is better. It was invented by a Russian woman, you know."

"I am grateful to her." Jaylah answered. "It is very good."

Chekov nodded, clearly agreeing with her. They walked along the sidewalk until they came upon a building she had seen in passing, but never gone into. Chekov opened the door and waited for her to enter. Had he been someone else, Jaylah might have eyed him suspiciously and refused to enter first.

But he was Chekov, her friend, so she walked past him and through the door. He followed after her. The room was large and dark. There was a bar to the right, and many tables scattered throughout. He waved at her to follow him as he approached the bar. He ordered two whiskeys and bought a game, and then they made their way to an empty table in the corner.

"So how does this game work?" Jaylah asked, taking a large swallow of her drink.

Chekov explained the rules while he set the table up. Jaylah eyed the balls and the cue stick that he handed her.

"This game does not seem so hard." She said, stepping back while Chekov played first.

She ended up being right, defeating him three times in a row. She lost track of the whiskeys they drank, and she discovered the Chekov is very funny when he was multiple whiskeys in. His jokes didn't get better. It was how he moved and how slowly he reacted that made him funnier. Most humans seemed to get funnier as they got drunker.

It was why she liked going out for whiskeys with the crew better than anything else. She understood them less, the more they drank, but they all became ridiculous in their own ways. She knew those were the times she would think on the most when she was lonely after she left them.

"Alright, alright. I think it's time to call it quits." Chekov said as she sank the eight ball for the third time.

"Why? It is not late, yet." Jayla asked, glancing at the time to be certain. Her new friends seemed to be often preoccupied by the time of day. They always had somewhere to be, or needed to get something done by a certain time. She had never experienced these types of restraints before arriving on this station.

"My pride can only take so much losing." Chekov smiled wider at her than she thought he would have before his current whiskey.

Jayla shook her head. "Your pride needs to be stronger. It will get strong with this beating."

Chekov laughed loudly. "It has already taken its beating for the day."

Jaylah sighed loudly. "Fine. We will go back to our quarters and sleep like we are elderly."

"Well, _you_ don't have to. But I've had quite a bit to drink, and I do work in the morning." Chekov stated.

Jaylah rolled her eyes, and finished her latest whiskey in one large swallow. "I will walk you home then."

"Have to make sure I get there safe, eh?" Chekov smirked, packing up their table.

"You are as frail as the Russian lady that invented whiskey." Jaylah smirked.

"That's not the insult you think it is. She wasn't frail. That was a powerful lady." Chekov grinned before walking off to pay at the bar.

Jaylah walked over to meet him by the door, before they left together. They walked quietly for a while. The silence wasn't like when she was alone. It wasn't deafening. She found she quite liked silence when she was with others. Then Chekov ruined it.

"Have you made any friends outside of the Enterprise crew?"

Jaylah paused, before meeting his contemplative stare. She shook her head, but said nothing. She didn't necessarily feel like she needed other friends. She wasn't sure she would be able to make them even if she did.

He nodded. "Why not?

"I have only been with humans for a few weeks. Is it normal to make many friends so quick?" Jaylah asked, a little nervously.

"I guess not." Chekov answered quietly. "You will make many more friends when you get to the Academy."

Jaylah nodded, not wanting to tell him that she wasn't so sure. That people were strange, and their ways still confused her even after weeks with them. She wasn't sure if even the Enterprise crew would have liked her if she hadn't helped get them off of Altamid. They were all so decidedly alien. She wasn't confident that she would find the comfort with anyone else that she had found with them.

She didn't have to say it out loud, though. Because even drunk, Chekov seemed to know her fears. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed tightly. "People will be desperate to be your friend at the Academy. Just you wait."

"If you say so." Jaylah conceded.

"If you find someone you want to be friends with, just do what the captain did when he met Doctor McCoy."

"What did he do?" Jaylah asked, meeting his gaze.

With a smirk, Chekov answered "He followed him around relentlessly until he gave in."

Jaylah laughed.


	5. Spock

_Spock_

x

"Thanks again, Jaylah."

Jaylah nodded at the petite woman, as she packed her tools into their carry bag. "I am happy to be helping."

Lt. Bailey smiled brightly at her. "It'll be such a relief to not have to go down to a cafeteria for a late night snack!"

"Yes." Jaylah agreed shortly. Conversation with people other than the Enterprise crew was becoming easier, but still did not come naturally to her. "It is better to not have to go all the way to the main floor for midnight snacks."

Lt. Bailey nodded, friendly smile still easily presented on her round face. "Exactly right."

"I have to go now, I have plans for sparring." Jaylah pointed to the exit of the woman's quarters.

"Oh, fun! I hope you win." Lt Bailey offered, stepping to the side.

"I always win." Jaylah stated, pulling her tool bag onto her shoulder, and making her way out.

Jaylah had been fairly busy over the last few days, ever since she returned Yeoman Yukimura's communicator, and Ensign Downy's PADD to them. It had been almost infuriatingly easy to fix them, and it took her less than an hour for both devices. It had led to her being asked to fix lots of other things, though, and her incurable boredom had lessened considerably.

Most tasks that people were sending her way were simple fixes, much like Yeoman Yukimura and Ensign Downy's. More than a few had required her going into people's personal quarters and apartments to fix things. Sonic showers and replicators, mostly. She preferred those jobs, since they tended to take a little more effort.

She arrived back at her quarters quickly, them being only down the hall from Lt. Bailey's. She looked at the time and frowned. Everyone here seemed obsessed with the time of day, but no one more so than Mr. Spock. She was supposed to meet him in only a few minutes. She was probably going to be late, and then she would have to endure that _look_ on his face. The one that made her feel small.

She changed into her sparring clothes as quickly as should could, dropping her tools on the floor in the middle of the room, and rushed back out to the gym.

She pushed the doors to the gym open with a loud bang, and saw Mr. Spock standing on a mat in the far corner. He, as well as the several other people in the room, turned to look at her disruptive entrance. Jaylah didn't pause or apologize, and instead walked confidently over to him.

"You are late." Mr. Spock admonished, giving her that look that she hated.

"I am sorry, Mister Spock. I was working." Jaylah defended, taking up position across from him.

Mr. Spock bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment. "I have heard you are keeping busy with smaller repair jobs."

"Yes." Jaylah nodded.

"Are you enjoying it?" Mr. Spock asked, falling into a stretch.

"It is better than doing nothing all day while you all are doing your jobs." Jaylah answered, falling into her own stretches. "It would be nice if I was fixing harder things."

"That will come once you begin your training at the Academy." Mr. Spock stated.

"I hope so. I spent so much time fixing my house, that these small things are very boring." Jaylah answered.

"Perhaps you should consider building something." Mr. Spock suggested.

Jaylah looked at him, considering his words. "There is nothing that I need to build."

"You could build something that someone else needs. The Federation is always looking for new innovations."

"Hm." was all that Jaylah said. She had built many traps on Altamid. She had also built more than a few tools to help her fix up her house. Beyond that, she hadn't built something from scratch since she was a child, before her family crashed and ended up in that death place. She used to love it. It was a passion that she'd forgotten when it became a necessity of survival. She hadn't felt like building anything these days. Maybe some day.

"Perhaps I will build something in the future. For now I am happy to fix things." Jaylah stated, falling into a fighting stance. Spock did the same in front of her.

"Fixing things is an admirable calling." Mr. Spock said as she lunged forward with a firm fist aimed toward his face.

He dodged her with a quick movement, grabbing her fist and pulling her off balance. He stepped back as she stumbled. She caught her balance, and turned around to face him again.

"You give your intent away by leading with your right foot." Mr. Spock explained.

Jaylah looked down at her feet with a frown, before nodding. She fell back into a fighting stance, and met his calm gaze.

"I will work on that." She said. This time she waited for him to strike first.

When he did, she blocked his hit with her forearm and threw one of her own, which he blocked in a similar fashion. They began slowly at first, but as they got used to each other's movements, their match picked up speed.

She kicked at his torso, which he caught and took the moment to throw her off balance, which caused her to fall to the mat. She rolled away just as he began to strike down at her, lunged outward with her legs, wrapped them around his chest, and thrust him onto his back. She rolled away, getting to her knees and swinging her arm out.

He grabbed her fist and pulled her forward. She fell, catching herself with the arm he wasn't holding. He sat up, and twisted her arm behind her back, and thrust her forward onto her stomach.

She huffed, realizing she'd lost, and tapped the mat. "I yield."

Mr. Spock released her, stood up, and stepped back from her. Jaylah pushed herself onto her knees, breathing heavily. "How are you so good at this?"

"Training and practice." Mr. Spock answered calmly.

"I have been fighting for all of my life." Jaylah said, standing up and turning to face him. "But still you win."

Mr. Spock bowed his head. "You are very skilled. With some training, you would easily best me."

"What kind of training?" Jaylah asked.

"When you arrive at the Academy, you will take placement exams, including one for your self defence courses. Your skills will easily have you placed in the advanced classes. There, they will teach you new techniques to improve upon your current style. By the time you graduate, I imagine I will stand no chance in beating you." Mr. Spock explained.

Jaylah grinned. "I think you are exaggerating."

"Vulcans do not exaggerate." Mr. Spock responded.

"So you say." Jaylah rolled her eyes.

"Jim mentioned to me the other day that you turned down his offer for a match. You realize that you would likely win with him?" Mr. Spock asked.

Jaylah nodded. "Humans aren't very strong. I prefer a challenge."

"Jim is an accomplished fighter, he would likely provide you the challenge you seek."

Jaylah made a noise from the back of her throat.

"You will have to spar with humans at the Academy, Jaylah. It would not be a bad idea to try it before you get there." Mr. Spock stated, falling back into a fighting stance. "You would be better prepared."

"Maybe you just want me to beat James T in a fight." Jaylah joked.

"Maybe." Mr. Spock agreed.

Jaylah struck first this time, and they fell back into what was fast becoming a familiar rhythm. Strike, block, strike, block. It ended the same way that their matches always did, with her yielding. She tried very hard not to take it personally. This was a friendly match.

"I have noticed that you delayed your departure again. Weren't you meant to leave this morning?" Mr. Spock asked, as he helped her back to her feet.

Jaylah shrugged. That was true. She'd had her bags all packed and everything. She'd gotten a message from Lt. Bailey about her replicator, and Jaylah had just canceled her her flight out on the merchant ship Celestia. She hadn't thought twice about it. She didn't want to leave her new friends yet. Maybe that made her weak, but she didn't care. She didn't care about the boredom during the days, because her nights were always filled with laughing and company. She wouldn't give them up until she had to.

"I did not need to leave yet, so I decided to stay." It was obviously an excuse, and she was embarrassed to have given it. Especially to Mr. Spock who would surely see right through it. Why was the entire crew of the Enterprise so observant? They always knew when she was lying, and why.

"There is a ship scheduled to leave in four days. It will the your last opportunity to make it to Earth before the next school year begins." Mr. Spock stated, and she thought perhaps he hadn't actually noticed what a poor excuse she had offered.

"That is the one I will leave on." Jaylah confirmed, quietly hopeful she wouldn't have to address the real reason she delayed her departure. Mr. Spock was so fearless. She didn't want to admit to him that she wasn't. It was easier with Montgomery Scotty. He wasn't fearless either.

"You did not wish to have some time to adjust to life on Earth before beginning classes?" Mr. Spock asked, tilting his head slightly.

Jaylah shrugged, realizing that she was most likely going to have to admit the truth to him. "My whole life is an adjustment."

"All the more reason to take extra time to acclimate yourself to your home for the next four years." Mr. Spock pressed. He knew. She knew that he did. She wondered briefly if it was because he figured it out, or because Lt. Uhura told him. She was too smart.

Jaylah sighed, once again accepting defeat at the hands of Mr. Spock. "I am not ready yet to leave here."

"Why is that?" Mr. Spock continued.

"Because, Mister Spock," Jaylah paused, "I do not want to leave to where I am alone again."

"You understand, then, that you will not be able to become a Starfleet officer? When the Enterprise's construction is complete, we will be leaving on it and you will not be permitted to join us." Mr. Spock explained.

"I understand that. I am still going to go. I just don't want to leave until I have to." Jaylah answered. "I will join you all someday on the Enterprise."

"You also understand that you will not be alone when you leave here?" Mr. Spock said.

Jaylah sighed loudly. "Not physically."

"You fear you will not find companionship once you leave Yorktown?" Mr. Spock offered.

Jaylah frowned at him, but said nothing. She wasn't sure she wanted more friends, but she _was_ sure that she didn't want to be lonely ever again.

"I knew no one when I enrolled at Starfleet Academy." Mr. Spock said.

"Did you make friends?" Jayah asked, despite herself.

"Not at first." Mr. Spock answered. "Admittedly, I was not concerned with forging friendships."

Jaylah stared at the ground. "I am concerned with it very much."

Mr. Spock paused, looking uncertain for the first time. "The Academy offers a wide variety of clubs and various extracurricular activities. I imagine, if you were to join one or two, that you would find companionship fairly easily."

"Yes, I have been told these things. It does not help with the nerves." Jaylah answered.

"It is normal to be nervous about beginning a new journey, or so I have been told." Spock said, standing stiffly across from her.

"You did not feel nervous?" Jaylah asked. Vulcans were stranger to her than any other species she had encountered in her life. They were so… monotone. She knew they must have feelings, or he couldn't love Lt. Uhura like he did. He couldn't have the friendships that he did. But sometimes it felt like he didn't feel anything at all.

"I was eager to begin my studies." Spock stated.

"I am too eager to begin my studies." Jaylah nodded. "That does not stop the nerves."

"This is a subject that I am… ill equipped to address. Nervousness is not something that I am qualified to help you with." Mr. Spock stated.

"It is alright." Jaylah patted his shoulder kindly.

The corners of Mr. Spock's mouth tilted upward slightly, and then nodded. "Vulcans are not known for their ability to provide comfort."

Jaylah laughed lightly. "Yes, Doctor Bones said something like that the other day."

"Did he?" Mr. Spock asked, sounding annoyed. Well, as annoyed as he could sound anyway.

Jaylah nodded. "He also said that you are a green blooded hobgoblin."

Mr. Spock released what she had come to learn was his version of a sigh. "Yes, that sounds like him."

"In his defence, he was very deep in his whiskeys." Jaylah teased, feeling the tension ease from her body.

"That is also not uncommon for him." Mr. Spock answered.

Jaylah nodded, shifting on her feet. "Is this why you asked me to spar with you today? Because I canceled my flight?"

Mr. Spock nodded slowly. "Lieutenant Uhura suggested that I could offer more insight than the others could, as a non human enrolling at the Academy."

Jaylah laughed. "She loves to be helpful."

Mr. Spock's face softened considerably. "She does, but I am afraid I was unable to offer the help she had hoped."

Jaylah shrugged. "Perhaps not, but I will tell her you did."

"There is no need to lie, she is aware of my shortcomings." Mr. Spock dismissed her.

Jaylah shrugged. That was true. "Then I will tell her you tried your best."

"I appreciate that." Spock nodded.

"I am afraid that people will think that I am strange." Jaylah confessed.

"People often think I am strange. It has not stopped me from having friends." Mr. Spock said, looking her in the eyes.

"But you did not make friends right away." Jaylah pointed out.

Mr. Spock shook his head slowly, agreeing with her point. "No, it took some time to happen."

"Were you lonely?" Jaylah asked, the true root of her fears finally coming out of her mouth.

Mr. Spock lowered his head, briefly. "Sometimes I was."

"I had no friends at all for a very long time. I don't want to go back to that. I don't want to be lonely anymore." Jaylah confessed.

"We will be a com call away at all times, however." Mr. Spock stated, "You will never be truly alone again. I know Nyota would be thrilled to speak with you any time that you are feeling lonely."

"She stops you from feeling lonely." Jaylah smiled softly.

"She does." He confirmed, fondly.

Jaylah smiled. "I will miss you all very much while I am away."

Mr. Spock nodded. "And you will be missed as well."

"Thank you Mister Spock." Jaylah said, "I think you were very well equipped for this conversation."

"You're welcome, Jaylah. I'm relieved you think so." Mr. Spock answered.

Jaylah looked at the time, feeling annoyed with herself for checking. "I have to meet Montgomery Scotty for dinner in an hour."

Mr. Spock followed her gaze. "I have dinner plans with Nyota as well."

Jaylah nodded. "I will talk to you later then."

"I look forward to it." Mr. Spock said as he turned to leave.

"Also, I am glad that you are no longer being stupid." Jaylah smiled, earning an imploring look from him.

"Oh?"

"About Lieutenant Uhura. I am glad you are done being stupid about her." Jaylah elaborated.

"Yes." Mr. Spock nodded. "I am glad as well."

Jaylah watched him leave the room, before following his lead and leaving herself. She felt a little better about leaving. Not a lot, because he was right about being bad at comfort, but a little. Mr. Spock had left his family behind to go to Earth, where he knew no one. Things turned out all right for him, so maybe things will be alright for her as well.

And she really was happy that he and Lt. Uhura had reached some sort of understanding.


	6. Kirk

_Kirk_

x

Jaylah glared at the man sitting next to her at the bar. She had not invited him to sit when he came to speak to her, but he had. He was a human with dark hair and eyes, and a thick beard. He called himself Derrick, and she did not like him one bit.

"So, where are you from?" He asked.

"Not here." Jaylah answered shortly, hoping rudeness would discourage him.

"Me either." He laughed, "I'm from Earth. Dublin, specifically."

Jaylah just stared blankly at him.

He was undeterred. "I work on the Dauntless, we brought in supplies for the reconstruction of the Enterprise."

That was a little more interesting, but Jaylah refused to react. She wanted this _Derrick_ man to leave her alone with her whiskey while she waited. He waited for a moment to let her speak. When she didn't, he pressed on.

"You know, I've never seen anyone like you before. Do you mind if I ask what species you are?"

"I mind." Jaylah answered.

"Fair enough. What brought you to Yorktown?" Derrick asked.

Jaylah glared at him, her patience wearing thin. "What do you want?"

That finally surprised him. He paused and his eyes got wide. Then he recovered, and he laughed again. She wished he would stop laughing. And smiling. And talking.

"I just want to get to know you better." He answered.

"I do not want to know you better." Jaylah stated.

Derrick laughed again. "Is all of your species this blunt?"

Jaylah frowned. "Why will you not leave?"

Derrick sighed heavily. "Why don't you want to talk to me?"

Jaylah gritted her teeth, and stood up with the intention of slamming Derrick's head into the bar. Just as she was raising her hand to do just that, James T walked up from behind Derrick, and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"Hey there, I see you've been keeping my friend here company while she waited!" James T said with a disarming grin.

"What?" Derrick asked, turning to face him. "Captain Kirk!"

James T nodded. "That's right. I appreciate you waiting with her, but I'm here now, so…" James T trailed off while Derrick stared at him.

"I'm sorry," Derrick stammered, "she didn't say she was waiting for anyone."

Jaylah frowned deeply at them both. "I did not tell you anything."

"You could have told me you had a date." Derrick accused.

"Okay!" James T interrupted, with a decidedly less friendly look on his face. "I think it's time you went on your way."

Derrick glared at her, nodding. "Yeah. I think so, too."

Derrick walked away muttering to himself. Jaylah didn't hear much of it beyond "waste of time".

James T looked at her carefully. "Looked like things were about to get violent, there."

"Because they were." Jaylah glared after Derrick until he sat down at a table with other people.

"I'm glad I got here when I did then." James T said as he took the seat Derrick had just left.

"I am not. I wanted to hurt him." Jaylah snapped, sitting back down and crossing her arms over her chest.

James T chuckled, ordering a drink. "I don't doubt it."

"He would not leave." Jaylah explained, draining her whiskey and motioning for another.

"He was trying to hit on you, poorly." James T explained.

Jaylah turned to him sharply. "He could not hit me if he tried a hundred times."

James T shook his head, "No, hit _on_ you. He was flirting with you. Expressing an interest."

Jaylah frowned. "I told him I did not want to speak to him."

"Yeah," James T sighed, sipping from his drink, "that's when he should have backed off."

"Then why didn't he?" Jaylah demanded.

James T shrugged. "Some men are stupid. Others are just dicks."

Jaylah hesitated. "Is a dick not a part of your anatomy?"

James T laughed. "It is, but we also call people who are jerks, dicks too."

"It is one of those words that mean many things, then." Jaylah stated.

"Yeah." James T agreed.

"Derrick is a big dick." Jaylah stated, accepting her new drink from the bartender.

James T smiled at her. "Ah well. He's out of the way now."

Jaylah nodded. "You were late."

"Says the woman that's done nothing but complain about how much we care about punctuality." James T joked.

Jaylah shrugged. "I am adapting."

"Doing a great job of it, too." He remarked.

Jaylah saw a red haired woman at the other end of the bar staring at them. James T followed her gaze, and then offered the woman a friendly nod before turning back to Jaylah.

"Why is she staring at us?" Jaylah asked, looking away from the woman who was beginning to blush.

"I think she's trying to figure out whether we're on a date or not." He answered.

Jaylah laughed.

"What?" James T asked, "It's not that ridiculous, is it?"

Jaylah stifled her laughter. "Yes."

"What? Why?" James T scoffed, offended.

"Humans are too pink." Jaylah answered simply.

James T laughed. "Not all humans are pink."

"Yes," Jaylah agreed, "I remember the images of Krall from before he crashed. He was not pink at all."

"So you don't like pink, then. No wonder that guy never stood a chance."

Jaylah huffed. "If his personality was better, then maybe."

"Oh, so does that mean my personality isn't good enough?" James T asked, mocking smile on his lips.

Jaylah couldn't help but smile. She shook her head. "We are family James T. Do humans date family?"

His mocking smile melted into a genuine one, and he shook his head. "That's definitely something we don't do."

"Thought so." Jaylah said, leaning onto her elbows.

"So what do you look for in a partner, anyway?" James T asked, mirroring her position.

Jaylah shrugged. "I don't know. I never thought about it before."

"What about now? We already know you don't like pink skin or bad personalities."

Jaylah giggled. "I think I would like someone strong."

"Strong, not pink, and a good personality. That's a good foundation." James T chuckled.

"And you?" Jaylah asked. "What do you like?"

Jame T pursed his lips and scratched his chin. "Well, I'm totally cool with pink skin."

Jaylah laughed. "Then you should go talk to that woman. Her skin is very pink."

"Yeah, and she's gorgeous too." James T agreed. "But we're hanging out."

Jaylah smiled happily. "Doctor Bones said you always chase the tails."

James T chuckled. "Chase tail. It means-"

"I know what it is. Doctor Bones told me." Jaylah interrupted his

"Yeah, well, maybe you're just better company than Bones is."

Jaylah laughed loudly, drawing attention form the other patrons of the bar. She'd had just enough whiskey already to not care overly much. "I will have to tell him you said that!"

"Go ahead!" James T laughed with her.

"So," James T said, as their laughter calmed down, "you're heading out in a couple days."

Jaylah nodded. "I am."

"Excited?" James T asked, leaning closed to her.

"A little excited and a little scared." Jaylah answered honestly.

"I'd be worried if you weren't." James T stated.

"I am glad not to worry you." Jaylah said, taking a sip of her whiskey, and looked around the bar.

"What are you looking for?" James T asked, following her gaze.

"I am looking for someone that isn't pink." Jaylah said, only half joking.

James T laughed beside her. "Yeah? Well, there's an Andorian in the corner. He's definitely not pink. There's a Vulcan in that group on the couches, or is she still too pink?"

"Vulcans are not pink, James T. They are a little green sometimes, but not pink." Jaylah answered. "But I think a Vulcan would not be interested in spending the night with me so much."

"Whoa-ho, are you being serious right now?" James T asked her. "How much did you drink before I got here?"

Jaylah shrugged. "Less than I did last week with you and Doctor Bones, and yes I'm being serious."

"Well, okay then." James T looked around the bar one more time. "Well, I'd say your best best is the Andorian, then."

Jaylah looked over at the Andorian in the corner. "He is alone. What if he doesn't want company?"

"You have to read body language." James T explained. "He's alone in the corner, yes, but he isn't closed off and he's nodding at anybody that walks by. He probably came here with a friend that bailed on him."

"Hm." Jaylah hummed. "He looks acceptable."

"So why don't you go say hi?" James T asked.

Jaylah shrugged, and turned back around to look only at James T. "I would not know what to say."

"Well if I were you, I'd start with 'hello'." James T suggested.

Jaylah smiled. "Yes, and then what?"

"Well, you just let the conversation flow. It's that easy." James T said, gesturing with his hands.

Jaylah laughed. "Conversation does not flow so easily for me."

"Our conversation is flowing right now." He pointed out, tilting his head toward her.

"That is different." Jaylah stated.

"How so?" He asked.

Jaylah frowned, trying to think of the word. "We are friends. I know you will not laugh at me for saying something strange."

"I'm sure he wouldn't laugh at you, either." James T said.

"Commander Mendez laughed at me last week because I did not know what was up." Jaylah pointed out, taking another drink.

"Did she?" James T frowned. "I'll let Commodore Paris know about that."

"She will get in trouble?" Jaylah asked, the spiteful part of her pleased at the thought.

"We're trained to be tolerant of other cultures. It's probably the most important part of our job. Commander Mendez clearly forgot that fact." James T said, not really answering her question.

"It did not feel the same as when you or Doctor Bones laugh when I say things." Jaylah said with a frown.

James T nodded, understanding. "It's because there's a difference between laughing with someone and laughing at them."

"Commander Mendez was laughing at me." Jaylah said.

"Yeah." James T answered, even though what she'd said wasn't a question.

Jaylah nodded. "I did not hit her."

"I bet you wanted to, though." James T smiled fondly at her.

"Very much."

"Well," he said, "then I'm very proud that you didn't."

"That was why I didn't." Jaylah shrugged, looking away from him. She cared very much what he thought of her, but it was embarrassing to say it out loud.

There was a moment of quiet between them, when she thought he realized she was embarrassed, before he spoke again.

"You know, I think he would probably appreciate your lack of knowledge in human colloquialisms. You two could probably complain about how much they don't make sense."

Jaylah laughed. "They don't make any sense."

"There you go!" James T grinned at her. "That conversation would flow amazingly."

Jaylah rolled her eyes. "Maybe I am not looking for conversation with him."

"Well, if you tell him that, then he _definitely_ won't laugh at you." He joked.

"Not if he is anything like James T, the tail chaser." Jaylah joked back at him.

"Exactly." He laughed.

Jaylah looked back over at the Andorian, contemplating. Everything she has heard about sex, both from her parents and from her new friends, indicated it was a very fun experience. She knew she wanted to try it, especially with all of her friends nearby just in case it wasn't actually so fun. The Andorian was very handsome.

"So you think he will not laugh at me?" Jaylah asked, looking over at the Andorian, who seemed to have noticed her gaze. He met her eyes with a friendly smile. She blushed and turned away.

Having seen the interaction, James T shook his head. "No, I don't think he'll laugh at you at all."

Jaylah chewed the inside of her cheek, sighing heavily. "I wish I was brave like you."

"Jaylah, you're one of the bravest people I know." James T said seriously.

She shook her head. "Every brave thing I have done has only been because I had no other options."

"That's not true. You didn't have to help us save the crew from Krall's base of operations." James T answered.

"I was very afraid the whole time." Jaylah frowned at him.

"You still did it." He pointed out.

"I still did it." Jaylah reluctantly agreed.

"Being brave doesn't mean not being afraid. It means doing things that scare you, like taking us to Krall's lair, or talking to tall, sexy Andorian men."

Jaylah laughed. "He is sexy."

"You should talk to him. Two people who find each other sexy should always have at _least_ a conversation with each other." He encouraged.

"Alright, James T." Jayla said, finishing off her whiskey. "I will speak to the Andorian, and you will go speak to the red haired woman."

"Will I?" He asked with a grin.

Jaylah nodded. "Yes, she won't stop staring at you."

"Alright, let's do it. You ready?"

Jayla nodded. "I am."

"Okay. If you change your mind at any time, you just say so and leave. It's okay to do that."

Jaylah nodded. "I promise."

She got up, and walked over to the Andorian man in the corner. He smiled happily at her as she approached.

"Hello." She said as she came to a stop in front of him.

"Hi." He smiled. "Take a seat."

Jaylah sat down next to him. "I am Jaylah."

"Tihl." The man offered.

Jaylah looked over to see James T leaning close to the red haired woman, and whispering something in her ear that made her giggle. She felt a surge of envy within her for how easy it seemed to be for him.

She turned back to Tihl. "Human colloquialisms make no sense."

Tihl laughed, his antennae twitching. "Not at all."

"Why do they ask what is up? Can they not just look up?" Jaylah asked, still genuinely confused.

"Right? Why can't they just say hello, like normal people?"

She looked back over at James T one more time. He met her eyes, and nodded smiling at her. She returned it and turned back to Tihl. Maybe he was right. Maybe it really was that simple.


	7. Scotty

_Scotty_

x

Jaylah sat on the floor in the middle of her quarters, working determinedly on a busted PADD. She had foolishly agreed to take on a few more repair jobs on her last day on the station, and she was running out of time to finish them. She ignored the doorbell the first two times it chimed in favour of continuing her work, assuming it was another person with another broken device, before getting up to answer it on the third.

With a huff, she stomped over to her door. It slid open to reveal Montgomery Scotty reaching out to ring her doorbell a fourth time. Jaylah, relieved, just turned around and went back to her previous spot on the floor, trusting that he would follow her inside.

"What have we got here?" He asked, doing exactly what she'd thought he would.

"I am finishing some jobs." Jaylah answered, frowning as she finished fixing the PADD. "There is a lot."

"There doesn't seem to be much left to do." Montgomery Scotty shrugged, motioning to a small pile to her left.

"That is the finished pile." Jaylah answered, nodding to the pile to her right. "Those are the still broken things."

"Ah." Montgomery Scotty frowned at the considerably larger pile. "That's a bit more, isn't it?"

"Yes." Jaylah answered, reaching for the next item in her pile.

He paused briefly before sitting across from her on her sofa. "Is this how you're planning to spend your last day here?"

Jaylah shrugged. "I have all day until the surprise party you all are having for me tonight."

"What are you talking about?" Montgomery Scotty asked quickly. "There's no party."

Jaylah made a sound in the back of her throat, and kept working.

"Really, there's nothing special happening tonight." He continued.

Jaylah stopped working to glare at him.

He quickly dropped her gaze and cleared his throat. "Who told you?"

"No one told me." Jaylah answered. "I am too smart to be taken by surprise."

"It was Chekov, wasn't it?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jaylah shook her head. "Mister Spock, actually."

"Really?" He asked, surprised.

"Vulcans do not lie." She answered simply. "Why are you not working?"

Montgomery Scotty shrugged, "I took the day off."

"Why?"

"Because it's your last day, silly." He stated "So you're all packed?"

She nodded. "Everything except for some clothes."

"Good!" He said, standing up quickly, "Send all these things back to their owners, then. I've got something planned for the day!"

"But these are not fixed." Jaylah motioned to her pile, even as she stood up.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll understand." Montgomery Scotty waved her off, walking over to turn on her transporter. "Let's get them sent off, so we can head out."

"Where are we going?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"It's a surprise."

"I do not like surprises, Montgomery Scotty." Jaylah stated, frowning at him.

He rolled his eyes at her. "That's too bad. Now hurry up, or you'll never find out where I'm taking you."

Jaylah made a frustrated sound, but began gathering the various devices, and sending them back to their owners. She also sent quick notes along with the items that she hadn't fixed, apologizing for not finishing the job. She hoped that Montgomery Scotty was right, and that they would understand. She didn't want to upset anyone that she might have to work with in the future. Just not enough to refuse his surprise. Maybe she liked them a little more than she implied.

When she was finished, she turned back to Montgomery Scotty with a scowl. "Now where are we going?"

"We're going somewhere that you tried several times to break in to." He smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her out of her quarters.

"There are three places I tried to sneak in to." Jaylah answered. She had tried to get in to the construction site for the new Enterprise, Yorktown's command centre, and her house several times over her weeks on Yorktown. She had been caught and turned away every single time. She didn't have the clearance, and it was harder to sneak around in a city than it was in wilderness.

She would have made it in eventually, though. If she'd had the time.

Montgomery Scott nodded. "I know."

There was no reason for Montgomery Scotty to want to take her to the command centre, which meant he was either taking her to the Enterprise, or her house. She wasn't sure which one she wanted to see more.

Her answer came quickly as they left the building, and he turned her left. The Enterprise would have meant that they had to go right, which meant he was taking her back to her house. She felt her heart start to beat faster, and she began to wonder if she was mistaken. She hoped not.

She hadn't seen her house since two security officers took her in to let her grab her belongings. They said it was Federation property, and needed to be studied so that they might learn what happened to it all those decades ago. They didn't care that it had been her home for years longer than it had ever flown for the Federation. She didn't miss Altamid, or what it did to her and her family, but she did miss her house. It had been a safe place in the middle of hell. It had held countless mysteries, hundreds of hours worth of learning, and a deep seated hope that she could one day escape. It was her home far longer than anywhere else had been. It didn't matter what anyone said, it was her's.

She had dedicated most of her life to repairing it, and she never had the opportunity to truly say goodbye to it. She hadn't known that her last day with it was going to be her last.

"How did you do this?" Jaylah asked, feeling strangely nervous at the thought of getting to see it again. She had that the Frankling was part of her her past, and not in her future. Did she really want to see it again? Was she prepared for what it would mean? She wasn't sure. She was never sure of anything anymore.

"It took some convincing, I'll admit." Montgomery Scotty answered. "I had to call in some favours, offer a few bribes, and a very well played poker game."

Jaylah smiled nervously at him. "You are a true friend, Montgomery Scotty."

"Ah, well, it wasn't just me. The Captain threw his weight behind it, too." He waved at her.

As they approached her house, they passed the security officers that had always stopped her before. They nodded politely at her, instead of the annoyed lectures like before. She nodded back, only because she did not want to risk upsetting them and getting stopped again. She could see up the ramp, inside. She knew in that instant that, yes, she did want to see it. She wanted to lay to rest this part of her life forever.

Montgomery Scotty pulled away from her, and let her walk in on her own. Once inside her house, her throat felt thick with the memories it held. She reached out and gently ran her hand over the walls. This was the last time she would ever be in here, and this time she knew it. This was her goodbye.

"I was thinking," Montgomery Scotty said as he followed her in, "maybe you could tell me about your house. You must have _some_ good memories about your time here."

Jaylah nodded, "I did have some."

"I'd love to hear them."

She took him to the bridge first. "This is where I found the videos that taught me to speak your words."

"Video logs of a foreign language are a good memory?" Montgomery Scotty asked.

Jaylah nodded, turning the logs on. "I had been living in the forest for weeks. When I found this place, it was like… Breating air after being under water for a long time. I knew it wasn't _safe_ , but it was the safest I had been since we crashed there. I found this room, and the technology was all strange. I pressed buttons all over, hoping something would happen. The first thing that worked were these videos. They made no sense to me at first, but it was enough to give me hope. I thought if I could get these videos to work, then I must be able to get other things to work. I thought maybe I could survive that place."

Montgomery Scotty looked at her with a sad smile. "You were right about that."

Jaylah nodded. "And that is why it is a good memory."

"Alright then, where's the next stop on this tour?" He asked with decidedly more cheer than she thought was necessary.

"This way." She answered.

She took him to what must have once been the private quarters of a lower crewman. It was small, with a turned over bed, and lots of dust and debris.

"I found this place many days after I moved in. It is where my music was."

"Pressing random buttons again?" Montgomery Scotty joked.

Jaylah shook her head. "No. I had learned much about your technology by then. I did not need to press random buttons. I had found other musics before this room. This music was the only one that was good. The others were too soft. The music here was loud and fast sounding. It helped me forget where I was and why I was fixing the ship. It was fun."

"I can picture the look on your face when you played it. Childlike wonder, I bet." Montgomery Scotty grinned at her.

Jaylah laughed. "No, that was when I finally got to see the stars again when we left. The music was relief. I finally had _something_ other than surviving to do."

"I can't even imagine what that would be like." He answered.

"I am glad to hear that." Jaylah said, staring into the tiny room where she'd finally found fun.

Jaylah took him from room to room in her house. She told him about the time that she finally got her holograms to work, when she'd found an old PADD with a number game on it, and the time she decided to fix the motorcycle that James T loved so much. She showed him the thread bare sofa that she'd claimed as her bed before she found the living quarters and gotten herself a real mattress.

Ultimately she took him to her old workshop, with a weight in her heart that she was quickly realizing had nothing to do with her house.

"This is the last good memory that I have here."

"What happened here?" Montgomery Scott asked, just as interested in her final story as he had been in her first.

She hesitated for only a moment. "This is where you convinced me to be brave."

He ran a hand through his hair. "You were already brave."

Jaylah laughed softly, and continued like he hadn't spoken. "We stood right here, exactly like this, and you listened to my story. Then you told me what it means to be part of a crew. A family. You invited me to be part of your's. You offered me a place to belong when all of the death and suffering was over. It is my very favourite memory in my house."

Montgomery Scotty pulled her suddenly into a tight hug, and for the first time Jaylah didn't just stand stiffly, enduring it. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his chest. When she first arrived on Yorktown, she couldn't fathom why humans seemed to love touching each other so much. She still didn't truly understand it, but she knew she would get there.

"You're a remarkable young woman, Jaylah. I'm going to miss you." He said, his voice thick.

Jaylah closed her eyes, and held him tighter. "I will miss you too, Montgomery Scotty."

He pulled back from her and gripped her shoulders. "You're going to do wonderful things."

Jaylah shrugged, making him drop his hands. "I am afraid of what will happen after I leave."

"You know what it means to be brave, don't you?"

Jaylah nodded. "James T told me it means doing things even when you are afraid."

"That's right." Montgomery Scotty smiled. "Are you ready for your goodbye party, then? I'm supposed to get you there pretty soon."

"I am always ready to spend time with my crew." Jaylah answered, looking at him like he was an idiot for even asking.

He laughed, and began leading the way out of her house.

At the exit, Jaylah waved him forward as she hesitated at the door. "I would like a moment alone, please."

"Of course." He answered. "I'll be at the bottom of the ramp when you're done."

Jaylah nodded at him and turned back inside. This place still felt like home. She wasn't sure if she'd ever find another place that felt like her house did. Everyone around her seemed certain that she would, either at the Academy or on the Enterprise after she was done there. She hoped that was true, but she would be okay even if it wasn't. Her house had given her a sanctuary in a terrible place where she was completely alone. She wasn't in a terrible place-or alone-anymore. She didn't need a safe haven to hide away in. She rested her forehead and pressed both of her hands firmly against a wall. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She felt a weight she hadn't realized she been carrying lift from her, as she bid her farewell to her house. She didn't know what her life had in store for her, but she did know that she no longer needed to be able to hide away from it. She didn't need her house anymore. Starfleet could have it.

"Thank you." She whispered, before stepping back and following Montgomery Scotty down the ramp.

He was waiting patiently at the bottom, and she smiled brightly at him as she reached him.

"Will there be presents at this party?" She asked, as they began walking toward the same hall that they had held James T's birthday party all the way back when they'd first arrived.

"Well, there needs to be something surprising about this surprise party." He answered simply.

"That means yes." Jaylah laughed.

"No it doesn't!"

She shrugged dismissively at him. "Whatever you say, Montgomery Scotty."

"You think you're so smart." He said with a smile.

"Because I am." She answered.

He shook his head, and continued walking quietly. She smiled, satisfied, and walked along side him. She took in the sights of Yorktown along their way. It was almost completely repaired from the attack. If she hadn't witnessed it to begin with, she would have been easily convinced that it never happened.

They approached the doors, and Montgomery Scotty grabbed her arm to stop her from walking in.

"You need to act surprised, all right?" He said.

Jaylah shook her head. "Mister Spock will tell the truth, even if I don't."

He hesitated for a moment before nodded. "Yeah, that's true. Let's go in, shall we?"

They walked into the room, and the entire crew of the Enterprise stood inside and yelled surprise. She smiled widely at them, walking into the crowd.

She'd been right about the presents. As she moved from person to person, she was given gift, after gift. Mr. Spock gave her a series of books on engineering and science, Chekov gave her a PADD filled with information on space navigation, Dr. Bones gave her a candy that he'd tried to replicate based on her description of the one her father used to give her, Mr. Sulu gave her a box of checkers, Lt. Uhura gave her a list of places and sights that "everyone should see", and James T gave her a bottle of whiskey.

It was all very kind, and everyone gave hugs and kisses, and claps on her back. Some she accepted with more grace than with others. She laughed with them all, and drank more whiskey than any of her human companions had ever seen. At some point in the evening, someone had insisted they all have a photo taken, which was immediately given to her to decorate her dorm with at the Academy. Hours passed, and she hardly noticed.

She looked around at all of her friends, and for once she wasn't afraid of what would happen to them after she left. They had all put in so much effort to spend time with her, and truly get to know her, and she finally knew what they had been telling her all along. These people weren't leaving her life any time soon.

Long after the false sunlight faded, and they were well into the night, Montgomery Scotty motioned to her from across the room to follow him out onto a balcony. She excused herself from her conversation with Mr. Spock and Lt. Uhura, and followed him outside.

He was leaning against against the railing at the end, looking up at the stars, so she stopped next to him and mimicked his position.

"How was your last day on Yorktown?" He asked.

She smiled, not looking away from the starts. "Wonderful."

"Good." He said.

"Where is my present from you?" She asked, turning to stare at him.

He startled. "What?"

"Everyone else gave me a present." She stated. "Where is the one from you?"

He laughed. "My present was getting to see your house one last time."

She smiled. "Well, then I will say that your present was the best one. After the James T's whiskey, of course."

"Of course." Montgomery Scotty turned back to the stars.

She did the same. She didn't think she would ever grow bored of looking up at the sky and seeing all new stars from the ones she saw on Altamid. A physical reminder that she was somewhere else, to be seen from any night sky.

"You ready for tomorrow?" Montgomery Scotty asked.

She thought about that. She'd spent so much time terrified to leave. What if she didn't fit in at the Academy? What if no one liked her? What if she was lonely? What if she didn't enjoy her classes like she hoped? What if she messed up and got kicked out? What if she never got to come back to her friends and crew? She had so many questions that she had no way of answering. But everyone here believed she could do it. They all believed she'd be okay.

One thing she did know, was that she trusted these people. She trusted Montgomery Scotty, and James T, and the rest of the crew. She had to trust them about herself. She had to believe that she could do this. She couldn't let her fear stop her from doing something. She needed to be as brave as they all thought she was.

Was she ready?

"I think so." She answered.

And for the first time in a very long time, she was sure.

x

And there you have it, ladies and gents. I hope you enjoyed my small contribution to the sadly lacking selection of Jaylah stories!


End file.
